Darkest Before Dawn
by OfficiallyNobody
Summary: The gang is now in their late teens, but that doesn't mean everything is still smooth sailing. For six months, Phineas has been acting strangely; barely talking, hiding away, and ignoring his friends' attempts to help him. While most of them write it off as nothing major after Phineas starts interacting with them again, Ferb can't help but think something isn't right.
1. Chapter 1

**SUMMARY: **The gang is now in their late teens, but that doesn't mean everything is still smooth sailing. For six months, Phineas has been acting strangely; barely talking, hiding away, and ignoring his friends' attempts to help him. While most of them write it off as nothing major after Phineas starts interacting with them again, Ferb can't help but think his brother isn't quite how he appears to be…

**PAIRINGS: **Ferb/Vanessa, eventual Phineas/Isabella, Candace/Jeremy, some casual references to other pairings

**RATING AND WARNINGS: **Rated PG-13 for language and themes of depression

_DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN 'Phineas and Ferb'._

**A/N: Based on a plot bunny. One with some serious claws. And Phineas may seem a little OOC, but to be honest, he's supposed to be that way. And I personally believe Ferb would get more talkative as he got older, seeing as he seems to get more lines in the later seasons…**

AGE CHART:  
Phineas-18  
Ferb-19  
Isabella-18  
Vanessa-23  
Buford-20  
Baljeet-18  
Candace-22  
Jeremy-23

**-PnF-PnF-PnF-  
**

"Hey Phin," Ferb said, part of him wondering how he and his brother had strayed so far from their initial roles in that first summer of extraordinary inventions and fun. Back then, Phineas had done most of the talking while Ferb was the one who rarely spoke.

Now, though, Ferb was lucky to get a total of seven sentences from his brother during the course of a day as they managed a small parts/mechanics/inventing shop. Between the whole gang, they would count a group total of thirty sentences unusual. Of course, Phineas' change in attitude was unusual enough in itself, but since he never really spoke anymore, none of them had any idea as to what the tinkerer was truly thinking and feeling.

Some of them, mostly Isabella, Vanessa, and, when she wasn't on tour with Jeremy and the band the recently married couple had put together a year ago, Candace, were openly worried about the youngest member of the Flynn-Fletcher family. Others (Buford and Baljeet) pretended not to notice Phineas' odd behavior, but Ferb knew they were worried too. Everyone was, but Phineas refused to tell any of them what was going on.

Not that Ferb hadn't tried to get his brother to tell him what was wrong, but not matter what he tried, Phineas remained withdrawn behind his now-reclusive front. More than once Ferb had nearly dragged the redhead to a mental health counselor, but he knew better than anyone how Phineas reacted when he thought he was cornered. And a psychiatrist would definitely make Phineas think he was cornered.

"Morning, Ferb," Phineas said, causing Ferb to look at his brother oddly. For six months, Phineas only spoke when necessary, and almost never just to greet someone. Odder than Phineas speaking was the small grin he sported, though, although Ferb could tell it was a pale shadow of Phineas' former cheerfulness; still, it was a serious turnabout from his almost-hermit-like behavior. "Nice day, isn't it?"

"Mmhmm," Ferb responded, nodding his head, intently studying his brother, trying to make everything add up in his head. "For October, that is."

Phineas grinned a bit wider at that, but it didn't stay on his face longer. "Say, when is Jeet getting here? I thought he was going to help with some of the mathematical aspects for the Super-Spray-Sprinkler-200."

"About nine o'clock," Ferb said, picking a box to take it into the backroom. "I need to put this away and grab a few things. Think you handle the customers for a bit?"

"Sure thing," Phineas said, rearranging the window display. He knew that there would only be one to four customers in here before ten, especially since it was the Monday just after the Fall Jubilee.

Ferb nodded, pulling out his modified Bluetooth as soon as he was out of sight and hearing range. He tapped the conference call code in, and waited for the others to answer.

Vanessa picked up. "Ferb? What is it?"

Before Ferb could respond, Isabella had answered her cell phone. "Tell me what is wrong this instant, Fletcher."

"Nothing's wrong," Ferb said, knowing that Isabella would think something had happened, because he rarely used the conference call function on their cell phones. "I think."

"What does that mean, McGee?" Buford asked, having answered in time to here Ferb's response. "And no lyin'."

"Ferb, you would not call us all at once if it was not important," Baljeet said. "Now tell us; what is going on?"

"Phineas is talking," Ferb said he put the gears in the box in the correct drawers as if on auto-pilot. "Not as much as he used to, but actually talking. And all I did was say 'hello' to him as we opened shop."

There was a moment of silence, and then Ferb winced as everyone began talking at once, which made it impossible to understand any of them. However, before he could regain control, a new voice cut in on the conversation. "Everyone, quiet!"

"Thank you, Candace," Ferb said. "I'm guessing you answered about the time Buford and Baljeet did?"

"I don't know how you always do that, and I'm not sure I want to know," Candace said. "But Ferb, you are sure that there was nothing unusual about this morning? Like, I don't know; a giant log ant robot in the alley or something?"

"…" Ferb wasn't sure how to respond to that. Luckily, his sister was used to what his silences meant to be able to read this one.

"Look, for all we know, Phineas was all sullen because he had Inventor's Block or something," Candace said. "And you guys built giant tree-house robots and turned ants into people-size… You know what; I'm going to shut up now."

Isabella giggled, but only a tiny little bit. Phineas was her best friend, and lifelong crush, so she was too worried to really find Candace that funny. "He had still been inventing, though, Candace. Maybe the Fall Jubilee cheered him up?"

"Hey, for all we know, Dinner Bell was just pining after a girl and finally asked her out," Buford said.

Ferb could practically feel Isabella glaring a hole in whatever she was looking at. "Buford, shut it," she snarled, her tone one that even Ferb winced a little at.

"I doubt it," Vanessa said. Although she hadn't known Phineas as long as the others had, lately she was one of the two people to see him the most, so she and Ferb had the best idea of the true nature of Phineas' mindset, even though they knew they really were only guessing. "I think there's something we're all missing. Something that's probably right under our noses, but no one is noticing it for what it is."

"If Vanessa is right," Baljeet said, "we must tread carefully around Phineas. Whatever it is, he is not telling us, so he would not appreciate knowing how much we are worried about him right now."

"Nerd-boy is right," Buford admitted. "Dinner Bell has some kind of, well, somethin', with the way he hates makin' people worry."

Ferb grunted. Phineas was possibly the only person he knew that would get mad at someone because they worried about him, his reasoning being that they had other, "more important", things to do. "Just act normal. Phineas isn't known for his ability to notice what's right under his nose, after all."

"Ferb…" Isabella said, somewhat irritated by the fact that even though it had been six years since the first summer she had spent really trying to get Phineas to notice her as more than a best friend, he still was clueless.

"I had better go. Don't want Phineas accidentally making something that destroys half the shop… Again." Although they were worried, the others did chuckle at that. It had been only a few weeks after the brothers opened their shop, just over a year ago, that Phineas had create the ultimate paint-ball machine. Unfortunately, he had crossed a wire, so when he tried to test it, it had exploded.

"Kay. Call me at lunch, hon," Vanessa said before she hung up, on her way to her job as a driving instructor.

"Keep me updated, little bro," Candace practically ordered. "And don't any of you be strangers, got it?"

"I had better go, before some kid tries to sneak in without having a reservation." Buford worked as a bouncer for a rather upper-class restaurant; the ironic part was it was the Danville Chez Platypus, the same restaurant that Phineas and Ferb had built as kids. As such, they had a dinner room reserved solely for them, for use whenever they wanted. "Later, y'all."

"I've got a class in five," Isabella, who was a dance teacher, said. "Ferb, if you don't call me the instant something changes with Phineas, I will come after you."

"Noted," Ferb said. "We still on for nine, Baljeet?"

"I am leaving now, so I may be early. Is that okay with you and Phineas?" Baljeet asked, Ferb able to hear the Indian placing papers into his briefcase.

"Absolutely," Ferb said. "Phineas seems to be itching to start working."

"Well, then I shall see you two shortly." With that, Baljeet hung up, Ferb also hitting the 'end call' button on his Bluetooth.

"Hey, Ferb, we got any 5/16th bolts left?" Phineas called to him from the front room. Ferb grabbed the half-full carton of bolts and carried them back to the counter. "Thanks bro," Phineas said before counting out eighteen of the bolts and putting them in a bag before handing to a preteen who stared at them with awe. "Here ya go. This should help your dad fix his lawnmower. If something goes wrong, though, tell him not to hesitate to call. Got it?"

The kid nodded, paying for the bolts before leaving with one last look of adoration. Ferb just stared at his brother, wishing Phineas would make up his mind, or this case, his mood, already.

"What?" Phineas asked, noticing Ferb stared at him with an unreadable look, something that didn't happen too often. Ferb just shook his head and tidied up the case of chrome car parts. "No, seriously, what?"

"Nothing."

"It's about me being all quiet and withdrawn lately, isn't it?" Phineas asked, causing Ferb to tense up for a second. "I know I probably freaked you guys out a bit, but I just… I had to sort out a few things. I'm fine now. Promise."

Ferb drew to full height as he stared Phineas in the eye, noticing that Phineas, for once, wasn't slouching. After about a minute, Ferb nodded, somewhat satisfied that Phineas wasn't lying. He wasn't a hundred percent sure, but for the time being, he would accept Phineas' answer.

"Baljeet was able to leave a little ahead of schedule, so he should be here soon," Ferb said, glancing at the display of motor oil before walking back to behind the counter. "You know, I wouldn't have pegged Baljeet to be the one of us with the job that takes up the least time."

"I'm surprised he didn't go into something that uses math more often," Phineas said. Baljeet was a part-time scientific research statistician, making about forty grand a year. "I'm not surprised that we all have the jobs we do at our ages, though."

"Even in Buford's case?" Ferb asked.

"Even Buford," Phineas said, seating himself on the counter with his arms crossed, a habit that both amused and sort of annoyed Ferb.

Ferb was going to ask Phineas what exactly he meant by 'things to take care of' when both heard the distinct sound of one of the cars they built come to a stop in the small lot next door to the shop, and Ferb inwardly cursed Baljeet's timing.

"Hey Jeet," Phineas said, and even though Baljeet had been forewarned, it was still somewhat strange to see Phineas acting more like himself after six months of, well, un-Phineas behavior. "Ready to help with the Super-Spray-Sprinkler-200?"

"Who exactly names all these inventions?" Baljeet asked. "Half the time they're 'Ferb' something, half the time they have a name that sounds like something out of a sci-fi film."

"I named this one," Ferb said. "Phineas tends to name them after me because he feels people don't notice me enough."

Baljeet stared at them both, before shaking his head. "Come on. Show me this sprinkler so that we can get started…"

"I'll mind the shop, since Ferb's the better engineer," Phineas said.

Ferb raised one eyebrow before walking over to the door and flipping the sign to closed, fixing Phineas with a pointed stare.

"Alright, alright, I'll help you guys out instead," Phineas said, rolling his eyes at his brother.

As the trio headed down to the basement, where most of the inventions were stored, Ferb and Baljeet half-expected Phineas to chime in and say _"I know what we're gonna do today!"_

What they didn't know was that Phineas had something else entirely on his mind.

**-PnF-PnF-PnF-**

**E/N: Wow, I thought that would take longer to type up… But I'm on break, so maybe that's why I was able to type it up faster. I'll try to get chapter 2 out ASAP, but my updating schedule can be rather erratic. On the upside, school will be done for the year soon enough, so then I can write more!**

**Read and review! Offynon out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**SUMMARY: **The gang is now in their late teens, but that doesn't mean everything is still smooth sailing. For six months, Phineas has been acting strangely; barely talking, hiding away, and ignoring his friends' attempts to help him. While most of them write it off as nothing major after Phineas starts interacting with them again, Ferb can't help but think his brother isn't quite how he appears to be…

**PAIRINGS: **Ferb/Vanessa, eventual Phineas/Isabella, Candace/Jeremy, some casual references to other pairings

**RATING AND WARNINGS: **Rated PG-13 for language and themes of depression

_DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN 'Phineas and Ferb'._

**A/N: Well, my plans to write a bunch over break didn't go as planned… Ah well. This is up now, which is what counts.**

**-PnF-PnF-PnF-**

Ferb sighed as he pulled out his cell phone to call Vanessa. Baljeet had left about ten minutes ago, but he had to practically remove Phineas from the shop by force to get the tinkerer to go get himself some lunch. Ferb knew there was a chance Phineas would just go tinker somewhere instead of actually eating, but Ferb had done what he could. If that meant also pick-pocketing Phineas' toolkit off of him, that's what it meant.

"Hey hon," Vanessa said after answering. "You wanna go get lunch at the regular place?"

"Sorry, V, but I'm not sure that's the best idea," Ferb said, glancing to the door as he talked to Vanessa.

"You had to toss Phin from the shop or there's no way he would have eaten, didn't you?" Vanessa asked, having gotten somewhat used to Phineas' refusal to eat if he was working on a project during the three months he had roomed in the apartment she and Ferb shared. "Oh, when is that boy going to learn?"

"He's not really a boy anymore, Vanessa," Ferb said. "After all, his eighteenth birthday was this summer…"

"…I wonder…"

"What?" Ferb asked, recognizing Vanessa's tone.

"I'm going to grab some lunch for us, I'll explain at the shop," Vanessa said.

"Alright," Ferb said. "See you soon, then. Don't get any speeding tickets."

"Oh, yes, because I would be the one to get ticketed, Mr. Lead Foot," Vanessa said, remembering the time she had gone with Ferb to England shortly after he got his license only for him to drag her (and Phineas) off to area that had no speed limit just so he could see how fast he could go. While Phineas had been laughing his head off (sometimes she really worried for that boy), Vanessa had been terrified.

"Love you," Ferb said before hanging up, grinning slightly. Although he had felt bad when he had found Vanessa crying in the park after her ex-boyfriend broke up with her five years ago, Ferb had secretly been just the slightest bit happy. The two had started hanging out after Ferb comforted her and walked her home, and then six months after that Ferb had finally worked up the nerve to ask her out. Phineas had joked that Ferb had broken his stoic exterior that day, but Ferb couldn't help but wonder if Phineas might have been correct. It was either that, or when Phineas broke his in four places arm three days later after hitting a tree while on his bike and falling down into a small canyon. Ferb wasn't sure which.

Ferb was pulled out his reminiscing when Vanessa parked her scooter in front of the shop, and he walked over to open the door for her. "I really don't see why my dad has any problems with you. You're such a gentleman, Ferb."

"Fathers worry about their daughters," Ferb said. "However, I do believe you had something you wanted to share?"

"It's just…" Vanessa said, unsure if she was correct with her train of thought. "When you reminded me that Phineas turned eighteen last summer, I got to thinking… I know he was depressed for a bit before his birthday, but on his birthday itself, he was almost back to 'normal', remember?"

Now that Ferb thought about it, he did remember. Phineas had been rather cheerful that day, and there times that he had practically glowed. Mostly when there was a song involved in some way. "Now I think about, I do remember… Especially when he was singing or dancing."

"What if it wasn't the music, Ferb?" Vanessa asked, glad for the first time that Ferb had ended up just an inch or two taller than her after he had hit his growth spurt. "It was when he was singing and dancing that we all were interacting the most with each other."

"…I'm having a birthday party," Ferb decided. Vanessa stared at him in question. "It's the perfect excuse to get the entire gang together. And with my birthday in only…"

"Ten days," Vanessa supplied.

"…Phineas won't be suspicious," Ferb finished. "Well, maybe just a bit, but that would be because I'm having a birthday party. Phin knows that I'm not the biggest fan of making myself the center of attention."

"Except you won't be," Vanessa said, getting where Ferb was going with this. "Oh, Ferb Fletcher, you're a genius!"

Ferb just smiled, gladly responding to Vanessa's kiss. All too soon, though, they pulled apart. "Food's getting cold."

"Then eat your lunch," Vanessa said, handing Ferb his meal. "Let's hope Candace is free, because, other than you and Isabella, she's the best at reading Phin."

-PnF-

As Ferb had thought, Phineas hadn't gone to get himself something to eat. But Ferb had been wrong in thinking Phineas had just gone someplace else to tinker; instead, Phineas had gone back to his little apartment, and was now seated on his bed with a small green leather-bound journal in his lap. Three others like it only in different colors; silver, purple, and blue, sat on his dresser. A small box was also on the bed.

Phineas read through the last couple pages in the journal, grabbing a pen to jot down a few lines on the last blank page.

_Well, this makes four now. Good thing I wrote down the name of the place I got Purple from, because having a journal is actually really helpful. I've already got a new one (orange cover this time) so that's all taken care of. And on that note, Green, I finish you off._

Setting his pen down, Phineas closed the book and placed it on the table on top of the other two before grabbing a pocket knife and cutting open the tape that sealed the box. Pulling out the latest in his small set of journals, Phineas pushed the box to the side and picked up his pen before he began to write again.

A glance at the clock told him that he had a bit left before he had to head back to the shop, but it also reminded him of the date, and the fact that Ferb's nineteenth birthday was in just a week and a half. He reached out to finger the gold wrapped present delicately before resuming his writing, hoping that his brother would like the gift.

-PnF-

Ferb glanced at the clock after the third customer of the day left. It had been over two hours since he had made Phineas leave the shop, and normally the redheaded tinkerer would be back early, not late. "Phin, where are you?" Ferb muttered to himself.

Right on cue, the door opened and a sheepish Phineas entered the shop with a tentative grin. "Sorry, Ferb. Kinda got caught up in a side project, and you know how I can be with those…"

Ferb smiled despite himself, because although he could he could tell Phineas hadn't eaten, it was good to see his brother smiling and having fun, even if it wasn't as much fun as they used to have. Ferb suddenly wondered if Phineas had been down because the other inventor missed the big projects they used to do over the summer. "So, Phin, what was that side project you got so caught up in?"

"Personal," Phineas said. When Ferb couldn't help but laugh at that, Phineas gave him an evil, well, the Phineas version of evil, glare. "Not like that. It's just something that I'm working on. Alone."

At that, Ferb raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you work on projects all alone?"

"I have been for a bit now, Ferb," Phineas said before he deflated and sighed heavily. "Look, I don't want to fight with you. Can we just move the conversation along to small chat now?"

Ferb nodded. "So, what kind of music do you listen to nowadays?"

"Alternate, mostly," Phineas admitted. "Some rock, a few country songs, and a couple of pop artists… Most of that has gone down the toilet, though."

"How many of our old songs do you have on your iPod?" Ferb asked with a sly grin.

Phineas blushed faintly. "All of them. And don't laugh; I know you did the same thing!"

"Going through my stuff, are you?" Ferb asked, trying to seem intimidating.

"Yes," Phineas said nonchalantly. "Gonna do something about it?"

Ferb just fake-growled and swiped at Phineas, who dodged with more skill than Ferb thought his brother possessed. "Gonna have to do better than that, Turbo Ferbo, if you wanna catch the Phinmiester."

Ferb just rolled his eyes and went back to tiding up the chrome display. "Vanessa wanted to know if you were free for dinner tonight."

"What's she making, and is her dad gonna be there?" Phineas asked. It wasn't a hidden fact that Phineas and Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz had butted heads over their inventions.

"Lasagna and no," Ferb said. "The good doctor took a vacation in the Pacific. In fact, he called V during lunch and said he'd be coming back late if anything, not early."

"Well, I suppose I could clear up my schedule enough to go…" Phineas said, and Ferb had to grin.

It was nice to see Phineas acting more like his old self, even if Ferb had a feeling that Phineas' secrets where going to cause plenty of trouble in the future.

**-PnF-PnF-PnF-**

**E/N: Phineas, you shouldn't keep secrets from Ferb… And, in case anyone was wondering, neither Perry nor Dr. Doofenshmirtz is actually going to physically show up in this story. They may be mentioned in passing, but not actual appearances. It just won't fit with the plot.**

**Review please! Offynon out!**


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